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Tuesday, May 8, 2012

"Marvel's The Avengers" Sets Opening Weekend Box Office Record

“Marvel’s The Avengers” Scores Biggest Domestic Opening Weekend of All Time

With $207.4 Million Domestic Debut, “Marvel’s The Avengers” Grosses $654.8 Million Globally in 12 Days

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Marvel’s The Avengers has posted the biggest domestic opening weekend of all time with $207.4 million for May 4-6, The Walt Disney Studios announced today. The Super Hero team-up crossed the $600 million threshold at the global box office in 12 days, and its cumulative worldwide box office gross is an estimated $654.8 million.

“Marvel’s The Avengers is something we’ve been carefully building toward since we began production on the first Iron Man film, and it is quite rewarding for all of us that The Avengers is appealing around the globe to both passionate fans and general audiences alike. It is a testament to all involved with this film that audiences across the board are embracing the film in this record-setting way,” said Marvel’s The Avengers producer Kevin Feige.

“Joss Whedon, Kevin Feige and the whole Marvel team have done something really incredible with The Avengers,” said Dave Hollis, Executive Vice President, Theatrical Exhibition Sales and Distribution, The Walt Disney Studios. “From the super-talented cast to the spectacular visual effects, it’s a grand slam, and we’re proud to be a part of this history-making film.”

In just three days, Marvel’s The Avengers is the fastest movie to reach $200 million domestically. The domestic debut kicked off Friday, May 4, and marks the second-highest single-day take of all time at $80.8 million, followed by record-breaking days on Saturday ($69.5 million) and Sunday ($57 million). Moviegoers gave Marvel’s The Avengers a rare and perfect A+ CinemaScore.

Marvel’s The Avengers began opening internationally April 25 and has set records as the biggest opening weekend of all time in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Central America, Peru, Bolivia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, and United Arab Emirates. It opened in Russia May 3 with $17.9 million to make it the biggest Marvel opening weekend ever. It debuted in China on May 5 with $18 million over two days. Marvel’s The Avengers has now opened in all major markets except Israel (May 10), Poland (May 11), and Japan (August 17).

The film’s successful debut comes a month after Marvel and Disney announced that a sequel to 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger will be released April 4, 2014. A sequel to last summer’s Thor is scheduled for release November 15, 2013, and the third installment of the hit Iron Man series, which has earned over $1.2 billion worldwide, will arrive in theaters May 3, 2013.

Marvel’s The Avengers is the first Marvel Studios film to be marketed and distributed by The Walt Disney Studios.

About Marvel’s The Avengers
Marvel Studios presents Marvel’s The Avengers — the team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddleston, with Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, and directed by Joss Whedon, Marvel’s The Avengers is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series The Avengers, first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since.

Marvel’s The Avengers is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures. The film was produced by Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige and executive produced by Alan Fine, Jon Favreau, Stan Lee, Louis D’Esposito, Patricia Whitcher, Victoria Alonso and Jeremy Latcham. The story was by Zak Penn and Joss Whedon and the screenplay was by Joss Whedon. The film is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.